by Carolyn
Wednesday December 5
Jack and I are in Bora Bora! Described as “the most beautiful island in the world” by James Michener, it’s not too shabby, but I suspect it's lost some of its unique beauty over the last 50 years as more and more hotels are built with long pontoons of bungalows out over the water. We are staying in one and they are very comfortable and quiet, and there are glass-bottomed peep holes to the ocean below.
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| Bungalows |
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| The ride from the airport to our resort |
We had a leisurely morning before meeting a marine biologist who works with several hotels in the area to create and manage their artificial coral reefs, which in turn bring colorful tropical fish. The reef “product” his firm (yes, a private company) promotes is called Biorock and they partner with Global Coral Reef Alliance on restoration around the world. From Wikipedia: “Biorock, also known as Seacrete or Seament, is a substance formed by electro-accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater. Wolf Hilbertz developed the process and patented it in 1979.” They build structures out of iron rebar (cathode), add a nearby complementary metal mesh (anode), run a small current through the thing and calcium carbonate precipitates out of the ocean water and quickly forms a dense shell around the rebar which anchors corals, clams, oysters, etc. The conversation was very interesting but I’m still not sure how this method can scale since it needs the power supply...
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| Snorkel bay |
But, we did see the results in the snorkel bay. The dome-like structure was a fish paradise and had grown at a rate much faster than the traditional concrete block base. Snorkeling was gorgeous and every time you think you’ve seen all the diversity the ocean offers, another gaudy fish pops out.
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| Biorock dome with planted corals |
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| Can't find Nemo |
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| Snorkel bay |
Mid day and afternoons are very warm, so shade, cool drinks and minimum exertion is recommended. I need instruction: how to relax on vacation and not look for birds or flowers, or learn the culture or history, exercise, or work on the blog. It will take more practice.
Our evening included a sunset cruise to a motu (very small island) for stargazing. Our two local guides were enthusiastic musicians with ukulele, bongo drums and something almost like harmony when they were singing. There were a lot of clouds when we started our ride, but they cleared off as the stars came out.
The stars were more than evening entertainment for Polynesian who used them to navigate, ultimately establishing a culture that stretched from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island. French Polynesia is sort of in the middle of the triangle. The human DNA studies as well as linguistics show the common heritage of the people native to this vast waterscape.
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| Sunrise |
